Dame Josephine Abaijah, GCL DBE (born 23 June 1940) is a Papua New Guinean former politician.
[2] She contested the Central Provincial seat in the 1972 elections, becoming the first woman to win a seat in the House of Assembly, and only the second female legislator in Papua New Guinea after Doris Booth (who had been an appointed member in the 1950s).
[2][4] She was re-elected in 1977 in the National Capital District Provincial constituency, but was defeated by Phillip Bouraga in the 1982 elections.
Asked by the Pacific Journalism Review for her opinion as to why there were (in 1995) no women in Papua New Guinea's Parliament, she stated:I maintain that I will not give money to somebody to vote for me.
[6]However, Abaijah returned to parliament after winning the Milne Bay Provincial seat in 1997,[7] unseating Tim Neville.